6 days post hysterectomy: Could Ibuprofen or HRT be causing anxiety?

I'm 6 days post op (TAH). I've been using 800mg ibuprofen 3X/day for pain since day 2 (more powerful stuff earlier), and have an HRT patch (estrogen). The pain and menopause symptoms are well maintained but I've had minor panic attacks the last three nights. I'm wondering if the ibuprofen or HRT patch might be the cause. Will be trying today without ibuprofen as a test, but figured I would ask here too. Thanks!

No. The hormonal crash and adjustment you are facing, even with HRT, is causing the anxiety. It is very common, many women report it. I didn't need HRT - I had one functioning ovary, but dealt with anxiety and insomnia for 4-6 weeks post op.

If you need pain medication, please take it!

It would be really, really unusual for the ibuprofen to be causing anxiety. Ibuprofen's a pretty standard med. It's sold over the counter as Advil and Motrin.

The HRT is a much more likely candidate.

Thank you! I thought the very high & extended dosing of ibuprofen might be a trigger, but unbalanced hormones do make more sense. I expected different symptoms with unbalanced hormones, like hot flashes, and moodiness. Had no idea that anxiety could be a symptom!

Hormones definitely affect moods, and they affect moods in different ways to different degrees for different people. One person experiences "moodiness," another person experiences anxiety, yet another person experiences depression. If it doesn't go away within a couple weeks, talk to your doc about changing your dosage and/or mixture of hormones.

I had minor anxiety attacks for years, though never sought treatment for them. My hysterectomy unexpectedly kicked me into menopause. Three months after surgery I started estrogen only HRT. Within a day or two of starting the estrogen my anxiety attacks started up again, making me realize they had been absent since surgery (During which time I took a lot of ibuprofen and Tylenol). For me, estrogen was clearly the culprit ( whether natural or HRT) but I feel the benefits are well worth living with mild anxiety again.

I would be cautious about ditching pain meds only three days post surgery. There are many many different forms and doses of HRT, and you may respond better to a different product.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

I would recommend checking your medications for artificial food dyes; as Ive recently discovered in myself, those can also cause anxiety attacks. If that's the case with you, then you may need to be switched to a dye-free alternative. Best wishes for your continued recovery!